Truth About Violence, The

Alternative title

How Violent Are You?

Synopsis

What makes ordinary people commit extreme acts of violence? Michael Portillo investigates the darker side of human nature, being driven to the edge of violence in an extreme sleep deprivation study. He meets men for whom violence has become an addiction and watches a replication of one of the most controversial studies in history, the Milgram study. Will study participants be willing to administer a seemingly lethal electric shock to someone they think is an innocent bystander?

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’